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Oklahoma State survey discovers consumer views on farm welfare

By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — With a mere 1 percent of the United States population living and working on farms, sharing the story of agriculture with the other 99 percent of Americans becomes increasingly important.

To evaluate the current situation, Bailey Norwood, professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, recently completed a study funded by the American Farm Bureau Federation on talking to consumers about farm animal welfare. Norwood shared his much-anticipated study during the annual meeting of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture on April 1 in Indianapolis.

In a survey of 1,019 individuals, Norwood found consumers think that farm economic well-being is more important than animal well-being. He also found that current beef production practices are consistent with consumers’ perceptions about what makes cattle happy.

“Nearly 78 percent of surveyed consumers agree or strongly agree that animals raised under high standards of care will provide safer, better-tasting meat,” Norwood indicated. “In the end, we discovered that people are not as concerned about farm animals as they say or think they are.”

He also found that three-quarters of the surveyed groups agreed that “I would vote for a law that would regulate farmers treating animals more humanely” – even though when asked what makes animals happy, people think they are happiest when they are able to exercise outdoors, nearly two times more than receiving covered shelter at an appropriate temperature.

Norwood identified the conflicting opinions as he pointed to the question of the controversial gestation crate issue.

“Forty-five percent of consumers disagreed or strongly disagreed that ‘Housing pregnant sows in gestation crates is humane,’ but it jumps back to 45 percent agree or strongly agree when you add ‘for their own protection’ at the end,” he said.

When asked why it’s important to hear what consumers have to say about animal welfare in general, Norwood highlighted three key reasons.

“It’s their product – they deserve to know – consumers influence policy, and we could argue in some ways that consumers know more then us,” Norwood explained.

However, Norwood explained it is quite easy to have a survey with pointed results, so he indicated ways he handled the survey to offset any inconsistencies.

“When consumers talk, they tell you about themselves; they lie, tell you what you want to hear, say what they’re supposed to say, are easily influenced and often say what is easy, so it’s really important to ask the right questions in the right format,” he explained.

“With 17 percent of the sample from a rural area, 65 percent female, we found that our survey sample reflected the U.S. population very well – and this is pretty important as well, if you want successful results.”

In reference to the question of low meat prices, the survey sample strongly disagree by 50 percent that low prices are more important than the well-being of farms animals; however, when asked what the average American thinks, the survey sample agreed low meat prices are more important than the well-being of farm animals.
“This is really the better truth,” Norwood said, when surveyed consumers reflected what the average American might believe.
With this survey as potentially one of the first of its kind, he hopes to further study this topic, particularly as it relates to animal welfare and consumer perception.

“This is a very difficult topic – scientists don’t even know what makes you happy, let alone the majority of U.S. consumers,” Norwood joked.

For more information on his survey, visit http://asp.okstate.edu/baileynorwood/AW2/AW2Main.htm

This farm news was published in the April 9, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.
4/9/2008